10 Ideas to Get Through The Coroanvirus Crabbies

10 Ideas for the Coroanvirus Crabbies

Does the Coronavirus isolation have you depressed, anxious, or down right crabby? I admit that it’s gotten to me. Yesterday was day two that my kids were home and I was already snapping at them.

After some self-reflection and reflecting on how to help the families I work with I made a few changes to make this better for all of us. I’ve listed 10 ideas below hoping that everyone can find something that works for them.

1. Get up and get dressed. Staying in your jammies is fun for a few days but gets depressing after awhile.
2. Make a schedule, but be flexible. Our schedule is a checklist of things the kids need to do each day. Having a minute by minute schedule will frustrate everyone.
3. Find something to do each day as a family. Use this time to connect. Let the kids have input on this so that there is buy in.
4. Be realistic. I want to get the house cleaned, but I know I can’t ask the kids to clean all day. So, I chose one room to focus on every other day.
5. Ask your kids! No matter the age, get their input. The Coronavirus has us all feeling powerless and out of control. Letting your kids have input into the schedule, the meal plan, their clothing, etc. is important.
6. Go outside. As long as you are not in a group of more than 10 and you are staying 6 feet away from people it is good to be outside.
7. Stretch. If you are not able to workout at least stretch. You don’t have to be a gymnast, or even do yoga, just stretch. However, there are some great, simple yoga videos on YouTube if you want to try it out in the privacy of your home.
8. Eat healthy. Stress and anxiety send us straight to comfort food. It is more important than ever to ensure that our body is filled with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals in order to boost the immune system should we get sick.
9. Sleep. Since we can sleep in it’s tempting to stay up later. Sleep is so important for the immune system and our health. It’s important to go to bed at the same time as we usually do and sleep in if you can. Most Americans don’t get enough sleep. Now is the time to do that.
10. Laugh. Find something on YouTube, your favorite movie, or make up your own jokes. Do something to laugh together. It’s the best medicine.

Not Strong Enough

I’m not strong enough 

“Lord, I can’t do this, it’s too much.”  I cried out to the Lord, silently, while kneeling in a beautiful Cathedral during a Monday evening mass that I decided to go to at the last minute. This wasn’t my home church, I had never been into the Cathedral.  I had been at the ICU where my mom had been for eighteen days most of the morning.  I then went to see my counselor who got me in for an appointment after seeing my email describing all that had happened over the Christmas break. Since I was so close to this Cathedral I decided to go to the mass. 

I walked in overwhelmed with grief.  My mom was still in the ICU with a breathing tube. I had recently learned of the overdose death of a parent I worked with for four to eight hours a week for over a year. I was working with her because of her addiction and mental illness. I was trying to help her with parenting skills and managing crisis. While managing my grief with these two events I was pushed over the edge with news about a young man, only fifteen years old, who had played hockey with our middle son.  He had ended his life with suicide, using the same method as my sister three and a half years ago. I was overwhelmed with grief and heart ache. 

I went to mass that evening because I didn’t know what else to do.  I went to mass and prayed through my tears, in a large Cathedral with about forty people in attendance. It was quiet, it was solemn, it was massive. Being in that large Cathedral with so few people reminded me how huge God is. 

As I poured out my heart silently, I told God that I couldn’t do this, it was all too much. As I knelt and let the tears fall down my cheeks words came to me. Not like Moses and the burning bush, or when the angel came to Mary and Joseph, but words that were not mine came into my head. 

“That’s what Aron, and Moses, and Mary and Joseph said too. I was with them and I am with you.”  

I received the body of Christ in the Eucharist and felt His strength and His love fill me.  My grief subsided and I knew that God was with me and that with His strength I could get through this. 

When I posted about my sorrow on Facebook in an effort to be open and real many family and friends commented on how strong I am. As I read each one my thought was, “but I’m not. I’m not strong enough for this.”

I’m not strong enough, but God is.  He commanded us to be strong and courageous because he is with us wherever we go (Joshua 1:9).  I am strong enough, because God is with me.  You are strong enough too because God is with you.  You can get through the challenges in your life, God is with you. 

Let Your Light Shine!